Book Description
How was the 1998 election different from all other
elections? Not in party strength: Republicans and Democrats
won almost exactly the same percentages of the vote and
number of House seats as in 1996. Nor was there any great
mandate for change: Only a handful of incumbents were
defeated. Turnout was unchanged, too, staying for the most
part within the same 36 percent to 40 percent range of all
off-year elections in the past quarter century.
The
difference was a fundamental change in mood. In 1998,
Americans voted against what a classic 1988 editorial in The
Economist called "crunchiness" and for what the
magazine called "sogginess." Crunchy choices are
binary; the light switch is either off or on, with clearly
distinct consequences. Soggy choices represent only a
marginal, perhaps imperceptible change. In the prosperous,
peaceful late 1990s, Americans were comfortable with the
incorrigibly soggy Bill Clinton--and deeply uncomfortable
with the aggressive crunchiness of the most visible
congressional Republican, Newt Gingrich. The 1998
elections--and elections are always a crunchy process--saw no
significantly different partisan balance. But they did
produce very different outcomes for the two party leaders.
The Almanac
of American Politics 2000, which very much tends to the
crunchy side, is a vital tool in assessing today's
increasingly soggy political scene. No other book offers so
much information plus such a clear road map to our political
present and future (be it crunchy or soggy). In addition to a
provocative new Introduction by Michael Barone, this
completely updated edition includes:
--Insightful, colorful profiles and photographs of all 535
members of Congress and all 50 governors
--Voting records on important legislation
--Revealing descriptions of each state and congressional
district with historical, economic, social, and political
background information
--Congressional ratings by National Journal and a dozen
influential interest groups
--Updated maps showing each congressional district, including
recent redistricting changes
--1998 election results for each member of Congress and
presidential results by congressional district
--Exclusive election forecasts for every 2000 race from
Washington's foremost political handicapper, Charlie Cook
--Access to the Almanac Web Edition, providing up-to-date
information on key votes of the 106th Congress, results from
special and interim elections, and more.
